officers and firefighters rent ally cleared the scene from the search. they told me they will return to make sure they have better visibility for the search. the whole thing started around 1:00 morning after an officer tried to pull over a man on suspicion of drunk driving. the man jumped out of the car, ran a few blocks away. the suspect jumped a fence into a creek. officers tried to follow the man trying to persuade him to get out. thats a when they called in multiple agencies to try and save the suspect. >> with the swift moving water, we're concerned he could have got caught upsome something or drowned. so. we hope he's okay. we have a swift water rescue boat from the fire department out going up creek and trying to locate him. >> that boat scoured the area for three hours. the response included fire trucks from ross valley, ma

rain county as well as the sheriff's office. again ross police tell me they will be back out here in a matter of a few hours when daylight hit so they can have the better visibility, and like the officer said or the chief said, they are hoping that maybe just the suspect found a way out of the water. there's still a free if in effect along the russian river in snow ma county. it is expected to crest just below flood stage later this morning. parts of the county experienced minor flooding during yesterday's storms. the affected areas included the park where the water was up to a foot and a half deep. >> there's not a lot we can do about it. we tried sandbagging in the past. it was fruitless. >> there was flooding a few miles away in pet lieu ma, including a company's creekside parking lot. more rain is expected later this week. people in east pal low alto

are keeping a close eye on a levee in danger of giving away. >> this is all happening along the creek near 101, and the embark dare rein pal low alto. >> the creek runs through both residential and commercial areas. several homes were evacuated. the levee -- officials say more rain could be disastrous. >> what happens if the levee gets compromised by the water. we have overbanking going on, literally carving the levee up. >> meanwhile about 40 evacuees were taken to the ymca on university avenue; but the shelter lost power overnight. flooding is nothing new for the pal low alto. this is february of 1998 during the el nino storm season. hundreds of homes were damaged in that flooding.

the rains turning the creek into a raging tore went far beyond what happened yesterday now the weekend storm left a big mess on the roads in the bay area. up in ma rain county, the panoramic highway was completely blocked by a large tea you see here. this is just above downtown mill valley. it took crews a lot of time to get up the narrow road and longer to start clearing the debris. motorists stuck in the area had to go all the way back to stet son beach and use highway 1 south to get back to the freeway. a rock long, long way to go. and a massive sink hole happened on the stony point road south of highway 116. a trainnage pipe under the road caused the pavement to collapse. road crews brought in massive steel plates to cover it while repairs were made. >> we're taking safety precautions to make sure a car doesn't fall through and fall into the hole. >> crews say the road could be

closed for three days wheel they patch up that hole. a storm in the sierra dumped a ton of snow. they got 6 to 8 feet of it. skiers, snow boarders and sled riders headed to the high country to enjoy it. but with winds gusting to 70 miles per hour, driving was dangerous, and slowgoing to the resort. on interstate 80 chains required for eastbound traffic from baxter to truckie. there are chain controls westbound. highway 50 to my years and on state route 88, chain controls begin at cook station. today is forecast with sunny skies, should be promising for holiday travelers. yesterday it was a mess at san francisco international airport as that crazy weather canceled canceleddens of flights and delayed others. things weren't much better in

san jose, which actually experienced few significant problems yesterday. in other news, an afghan police woman is in custody accused of killing a police officer from the united states. officials in afghanistan say the police woman shot the advisor with a pistol as emerge from a small shop near headquarters there. the suspect was arrested shortly afterwards. the advisor's identity has not been released. the latest in a rash of attacks by police officers against their foreign al lies. business news, stock futures are down as very light trading with markets set to close early for christmas eve. u.s. trading will close today 10:00 a.m. pacific time and will stay closed tomorrow for christmas. a number of markets overseas including germany and italy are closed all day today. 5:06. if you haven't finished your shopping, you can do it with clear skies. >> i just finished my shopping

and realized i need something else. so i've got to go back. >> i walked into target. i was completely done and still spent 80 bucks. >> i know. >> folks around the bay area going to catch a break from the stormy weather outside. what a weekend. a much needed break. some isolated showers showing up on the radar. you can see some of that moving in along the coastline and the peninsula as the system begins to wind down. a chance for more scattered showers out toward the immediate coast. otherwise the rest of the bay area going stay dry. then through the day things will settle down. still could see some of these wander on shore. don't be surprised if you could see sprinkles. and then start to dry things out. more sun by the afternoon. the temperatures are going to stay cool if you plan to do shopping, but there's another storm on the horizon. more about that in a few minutes. back to you. thank you lauren.

and out toward highway 1. once again shut down this morning due to yesterday's flooding. both directions in that area, snow ma county. also in snow ma county, they should be reopeningopening the road any minute. highway 21 for the meantime shut down between 116 and highway 37. flooding is the main concern. you can see raindrops on the camera lens across the golden gate bridge. traffic is super light. christmas eve. not expecting a regular morning. pretty good out toward san jose, leaving lapedis. and the rest of the bay, still all moving at the limit out toward the east bay. if catching a flight over oakland airport, this is the scene by the stretch. in delays toward oakland. a couple of mass transit notice, bart is on a normal schedule. no delay. a train there's no service. muni metro and some ferries are on a holiday schedule. caltrans, business as usual. >> that would be christmas eve

light. >> it is. 5:08. charges could be filed as soon as today against a driver expected of striking several pedestrians here in san francisco. one of the victims was a woman from china. she died of her injuries after thursday night's accident on christmas tree point road in the twin peaks area. the woman was arrested that night on suspicion of felony dui and hit and run. nurses are set to begin a 24-hour strike at nine mobile hospitals. it is the latest in a series of short-term strikes by the california nurses association. it will affect several hospitals as well as two hospitals in san jose. all of the facilities plan to operate with replacement workers. union workers and management are at odds over benefits and staffing. the strikes set to begin this morning at 7:00 a.m.. this is the san francisco explore tore yum's last full week of operation at the current site. the interactive science museum has been at the palace of fine

arts for more than 40 years. it's moving to pier 15 right there along the embarcadero. it will reopen in april. a farewell ceremony the a its current direction will be held january 22nd. that is so cool. i think i was a kid the last time -- >> i was a kid, too. that was many years ago. the national spotlight on gun control legal cause. >> next both sides on the debate over the right to bear arms. and the booming business for firearms training coming up. school? you can our nominaton on our website: cf dot com slas e may come and what is cool about your school? you can submit journal nation on our web site? you can submit it on our web site. we may come and feature your school on the show. ,, ,,,,,,

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,,,,,,,,,, mommy! i went potty! that's great, honey.... where? for life's bleachable moments. griswold! check out this the christmas light show to all light shows. cars line up down the street just to e this move over clark griswold. check out this. the christmas height show to end all light shows. cars line up and down the street to see this elaborate display in the town of brooklyn

connecticut. the man behind this display has been setting up shows since 2006. he said it's about getting kids in the christmas spirit >> it's about doing nice things for each other. >> good. he's spreading a little christmas love around the neighborhood. this year he's collecting donations for pause for purple hearts. it trains service dogs for vets. >> how do you sleep, though, you feel like you're in downtown new york. >> maybe you shut them off. >> crazy. >> i think we're in for a break on this christmas eve. >> yeah, guys. a much needed break after a stormy weekend. there's still another one out. there looks like that could move in on christmas day. you can see there on the satellite image, most of the storm system sliding eastward. a lot of snow in the sierra

nevada. on the high-def doppler radar, you can see it move in along the coastline. i think this will be the end of it as the storm system will break down just a lit. as we go throughout the day, some parting clouds, some cool temperatures. should stay mostly dry. another storm headed in this direction. this doesn't look as strong as the storm that passed through. still the damage done. the water racing down the hills. we're watching the river closely. the flood stage at 32 feet. expected to crest just shy of the flood stage under 31 feet. we could see minor flooding there, and some of the forecasts are off. here's the next storm system off the coastline. that will be moving in on christmas day. a nice break. with that in mind, not a bad day to do it. still a couple leftover snow flakes in the tahoe area. things begin to settle down. dry things out with a little

surge. throughout the day the clouds thicken up. through the afternoon, rain becoming more likely. 50s into the south bay. east bay temperatures in the 50s, 40s over the mountain tops, and 50s inside the bay and the north bay. the next couple of days looks like a return to rainfall. then a chance of showers continuing on wednesday and pebbly into thursday. then a break on friday before more storms. that's the latest. back to you. thank you, lawrence. just getting word of a new accident. a big rig and a car off to the shoulder. south of this traffic camera. it's southbound 80 pushing marina boulevard. a heads up. doesn't look like lanes are blocked. elsewhere flooding is still the main concern out in snow ma county. highway 1 shut down. has been since yesterday right there by valley ford road, and highway 121 is dealing with flooding issues as well. outside one more live look across the golden gate bridge.

things are looking good, nice and lightheaded to san francisco. and checking some other bay area roadways, here's a live look at the peninsula la. if headed toward san jose, 101 and 280 not looking too bad at all. a quick look at the san ma day yes bridge, things are moving fine, super light so far. >> it's christmas eve. >> we're not expecting a normal commute. >> thank you for that. it is 5:17 now. a bleak outlook for avoiding the fiscal cliff. with the new year approaching washington's failure to reach a compromise is affect americans' confidence. taxes will go up on january 1st if they don't reach a deal. >> i've asked leaders of congress to work toward -- it protects unemployment insurance for 2 million americans, and laze the groundwork for further

work on both growth and deficit reduction. >> the president's solution of raising tax rates would still be ready as far as the eye can see and hurt jobs. >> president obama said he will cut his hawaiian vacation short to hammer out a deal with congress with the deadline a short week away. 5:18 now. the nra is adamant about its idea of placing armed guards in the nation's schools. >> this comes as diane fine stein promises to introduce new gun control legislation in the new year. the head of the nra put the game on violent video games and problems with the mental health system insisting another assault weapons ban is not the answer. >> it doesn't work. diane fine stein had her ban, and columbine occurred. >> hundreds of protests yesterday. amid the debate over gun

controls and restrictions, bay area ranges are seeing a sharp increase in the number of people who want firearms training. cbs 5 reporter donlin shows us who is seeing up for the shooting lessons. >> reporter: lynn suwannee fired a gun for the first time in her life. >> safety. my arms are tired. >> reporter: before pulling the trigger, she attended a class in san francisco to learn how to safely store and use a gun. >> see if i can feel any sense of power being female and 5 feet tall. >> reporter: many bay area instructors say they see a big increase in the number of people signing up for training. many of them are first-time gun useers. scott jackson trains 50 people a month. this month business skyrocketed

six times. >> this time we went up to 800, and 85% are female. they're coming in for training and vying for firearms. >> reporter: one of his students got her training thursday. she said she decided to learn how to use a gun after two men recently tried to break into her house while she and her three taughters were inside. she had been held up at gunpoint twice when she managed a bank >> 5-foot 1, and i'm a very small person and wanted to defend myself. >> reporter: experts say there are a lot of reasons why people are taking up gun lessons. they say talks of tighter gun control policies could play a big factor. >> lynn and sarah tell me learning how to operate a gun is a personal decision and they hope to never ever point a gun at someone. cbs 5. well coming up going to switch gears, because we're going to check in on the big

guy with the beard, because he's pretty busy. >> that's right. he's checked in on who's naughty or nice. a live look right now tracking santa. a live look at minor rad. we understand more than presents have been delivered so far. >> he's over adelaide usa. we have more on the busy on the night six ways to sunda . and simes, it took a minute to downlo song. that'xty seconds, forg out loud. we know how long a minute is! sitting, waiting for an album to download. i still have back problems. you're only 14 and a half. he doesn't have back problems. you kids have got it too good if you ask me. [ male announcer ] now u-verse high speed internet has more speed options, reliability and ways to connect.

watch oakland quarterback cn palmer get blasted by greg hardy. palmer left the game with a rib injury. x-rays we negative. there was no stopping panths cam newton. he scored 4 pla after a turnover. panthers win 17-6. the 49ers were brought backo earth... suffering an embarrassing loss in a nationally televid sunday night game. the seah took an early lead in seatt an suffering an embarrassing loss in seattle. the sea hawks took an early lead and never looked back, pounding the 9ers 42-13.

there wasn't a touchdown until the first quarter. they can still win the nfc west if they can beat arizona next week; but seattle is in thanks to the win. joe johnson had a half court shot. you know what's going to happen. th goes joe, and there goes the ball. that will go right in the net, the shot. brooklyn wins 95-92. nice shot. it is christmas eve, which means somebody is hard at work. >> early this morning. we are talking about santa. he jetted off early this morning. we are tracking where he is on minor rad, and where the heck is he? can you tell? >> i'm hearing from my producer he's in darwin usa.

he has delivered some 700 million gifts so far. so he's got a little bit of work to do. >> he goes really fast. >> you can also follow mr. clause on bing maps. look at this. and twitter, too. goggle is tracking santa on its maps. and you can interact with them on goggle plus. >> nice. >> you can instant message him. >> he's delivering cookies. >> reindeer cookies. >> -- >> and your daughter made these. >> so cute. >> let's move up. thank you. coming up, crews keep a close eye on the bay area levees. we'll have the latest. and the search will continue in a few hours for a man who jumped in the creek after officers tried to pull him over for a dui. details on a live report coming up. and a police officer rushes to stop a runaway shopping cart carrying a baby. how he managed to save the day. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

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[ traffic passing ] ♪ [ music box: lullaby ] [ man on tv, indistinct ] ♪ [ lullaby continues ] [ baby coos ] [ man announcing ] millions are still exposed to the dangers... of secondhand smoke... and some of them can't do anything about it. ♪ [ continues ] [ gasping ]

weather ad libs traffic ad libs good morning. it's monday, and the flooding causing traffic concerns. we'll have much more on all this coming up. all right, liz, and good morning, everyone. it is christmas eve. good to have you with us. >> i'm elizabeth winger. my is off. the time is 5:30. >> developing news in ma rain where search-and-rescue teams have been scouring the waters

all morning long. >> and kate hook yurin is along the creek, and she is there with the latest. good morning, kate. >> reporter: good morning, frank and elizabeth. police say they have suspended the search for a few hours until daylight, this after they spent hours searching the creek. this whole search started around 1:00 this morning officers tried to pull over a man near ma rain county. police were visiting the suspect for drunk driving. officers say the suspect jumped out of a car, hopped a fence and went into a creek. >> the driver jumped over the fence into the creek. the officers began to follow along the swiftly moving creek for about a hundred yards, encouraging the driver to come out of the creek to swim over to him. the driver didn't, swam in the opposite direction. >> reporter: chief master son said the concern was the cold waters of the creek.

as he mentioned he told us that officers tried to follow the suspect along the waters; but they could not convince him to come out. now the search drew out a big response in this area. that includes fire from ma rain county as well as ross valley and the sheriff's office. reporting live kate yarin, cbs 5. a bit of break for people in east pal low alto. the creek near 101 and embarcadero road was overflowing last night. it's a much different scene this morning. the creek has subsided. a levee in danger of giving way. it seems to be holding for now. officials say more rain could be disastrous. >> what happens if the levee gets compromised with the water. we have 600 feet of levee that has overbanking literally carving the levee up. >> about 40 evacuees were taken to the ymca and university avenue; but the shelter lost

power overnight. and a flood watch in effect. the river expected to crest just below the flood stage at guernville later this morning. parts of the county experienced minor flooding. water was up to a foot and a half deep in the pin grove park area. kind of crazy yesterday. >> did a little shopping and run for your life type rain out there >> there were on the accidents. accidents. watching these storms coming on shore. we are catching a much needed break. the storm is sliding eastward. a few clouds gathering off the coast. that's a storm headed to the bay area on christmas day. the high-def radar picking up a few showers along the peninsula la. this is just winding down.

get you for a closer look. you can see the cells off the peninsula. if the temperatures stay cool, highs only in the mid to 50s in the afternoon. more rain is coming our way. okay. thank you, lawrence. and going to take a quick look right now at the bay bridge. so far so good. things are drying out overall across the bay area. slick toward the toll plaza, but we are not expecting much from the morning commute, because it is christmas eve. so far so good in san francisco. flooding a concern in snow ma county. highway 1 shut down approaching valley ford road. and apparently highway 21 still shut town between 116 and highway 37. they hope to reopen by 5. still closed in beth directions along that stretch. here is a live look outside across the golden gate bridge.

snow looks good headed toward the drive. the valley commute, westbound 237, no delay. 880 is looking good past the open climb, and oakland airport if you have a flight to catch. an earlier accident approaching marina boulevard. a big rig and a car. it is completely clear. emergency crews have left the scene. and mass transit bart systemwide. there's no service today. muni and ferries are on a holiday schedule. the storm stopped traffic on major bay area roads this weekend. canyon road between mission boulevard. it had to be closed overnight because of a rock slide. and state road 84 was closed both directions because of a downed tree that was blocking both lanes. and in the mountains, highway 17 was closed at sugar loaf road for more than two hours. in snow ma county state route 1 was closed because of flooding,

still closed at this hour. over in ma rain county, the panoramic highway was completely blocked by a large tree. it took crews extra time to get up that narrow road and longer to start clearing it. >> i'm upset. i want to get home so, you know, it's not their fault. the tree is in the road. the difference is why isn't somebody cutting it? that's the difference. why isn't somebody cutting the tree down so we can get home. >> motorists had to go back to stimson beach and use the highway to get on the freeway. high winds, wet conditions canceled dozens of flights, and a lot of other flights were delayed two hours or more than that. that disappointed a lot of travelers trying to get to

their christmas destinations. you can get the latest on any stormy weather headed our way by checking out our live high-def doppler radar on our web site cbsss.com/weather. 0:37 now. gun control is not normally a topic of conversation over the holidays; but the mass shooting in connecticut has changed all that this year. as tara mergener reports, the tragedy is keeping the debate on the national front burner. >> hundreds of protesters marched across the bridge asking for new gun control legal cause, and there were demonstrations outside a gun shop in a washington, d.c. to burr,. >> to allow the guns that have no other purpose than to murder, slaughter innocent children is just insane. >> reporter: fear of gun control legal cause has made the weapons one of the hottest selling items christmas. >> going buy things not going to get in the future.

two weeks ago you could have bought one gun for $00, now out's 25, 27. >> the debate over gun control is just as heated on capitol hill. the nra one of the most effective lobbying organizations in washington said it will fight any new restrictions. >> every mom and dad it will make them feel better. when they drop their skid off in school in january is we have a police officer in that school. >> reporter: the reaction to that plan was mixed among the parents we spoke with. >> i think any effort to protect our children is worth it. >> we do not want people with guns in our school. >> reporter: senator diane fine stan plans on -- the head of the nra points out there was a ban in place from 1994 until 2004 >> it hasn't worked. diane fine stein had her ban and columbine occurred. >> reporter: others point out there was also an armed guard

at columbine. tara mergener, cbs news, washington. the time now is 5:38. still ahead, san franciscoens turn out to collect toys for kids in need this time of year. and a daring rescue caught on tape when a police cruiser comes across a run away shopping cart with a baby inside. how the officer jumped into action when we come back. stay right there. ,,,,

shopping cart started rolli down the hill.. with her ba inside.. an officer spotted yellow shopping cart heading right toward a busy highway.. he sped up, turned on his lights, and stopped traffic then he bolted out of his cruiser and ran to stop the runaway cart.. the officer grabbed the baby boy.. and him back to his very thankf mother. it's the eve of a national holiday.. but the markets wl be open.. at least for part of the day.. erica ferrari... with cbs moneywatch dot- com joins us live with a look at what we expect from wall street.. s?

hong kong finished a fraction higher after a half day of trading. stock crumbled after republicans called off a vote on their plan b deal to avoid the fiscal cliff. the dow dropped 120 points on friday while the nasdaq fell 29, and there's one week until the fiscal cliff. some senators are expressing concerns that a deal will not be met in time. if that happens, households with incomes between 50 and 75,000 would see their incomes rise $24. households -- as americans hit the road for holiday travel, they'll be paying less at the

pump. according to aaa, the average is $3.25 for a gallon of regular, down 18 cents from a month ago. send it back to you. >> thanks very much. have yourself a good holiday. okay. >> [ laughter ] you will be allowed to roast chestnuts on an open fire in this bay area this christmas eve; but the air quality district management refers you have no open fire at. as the rain and wind let up, air pollution starts to build up. there's a chance tomorrow could be declared a spare the air christmas day. experts say wood young will improve the chances it will be allowed tomorrow. >> there's a blue ray disk of a fireplace you can put in your tv and have yourself a monster fire. >> look at that. did you call for that? >> erica couldn't hear me.

>> i don't think it will be a fair day tomorrow. we have a storm coming. that takes the particulate out of the atmosphere. you can light up the fires and enjoy a good time with your family. the skies part a bit. storm clouds headed eastward. catching a much needed break in between all of the stormy weather. not quite done yet. our cbs 5 high def radar shows a few showers moving in along the coastline. most along the peninsula la this morning. then things taper off. through the day, it should be a mostly dry day. the. the damage already done from the previous storms over the weekend. we're going to watch the river crest there in guernville. we could see minor flooding if that forecast is off at about 10:00 this morning. here's next storm system. looks impressive. doesn't look as strong as the

last one. still the clouds have geared. looks like rain is on the way. no delays at fso. check your flight care years. expected to see delays across the country. houston expecting thunderstorms there, cold in denver. a chance you can see a couple of snow flakes there. also a little bit of snow in chicago and new york. you could expect some delays. here we go with the latest on our future cast model. a couple clouds leftover from the storm system. things winding down a little bit by the afternoon. here come the clouds on christmas day clouding things up through the morning. tomorrow toward the afternoon more rain in the bay area. not as strong as the last series of storms that moved through. if you're headed outside, you might want to grab a jacket. highs in the low 50s toward the nap pa valley, about 55 degrees in fran, and about 55 degrees in liver mother. the next few days it looks like

the return of rainfall on christmas day. a chance of showers continuing wednesday. maybe a leftover shower on thursday. dry weather returns on friday. that's the latest. back to you. >> thank you, lawrence. outside things are overall looking pretty food on this monday morning, christmas eve. not much of a commute. a couple of accidents. this one coming in northbound 11 approaching old oakland road in san jose. it's off to the right-hand shoulder. our biggest issues are out in snow ma county where some flooding concerns with yesterday's rain causing issues including highway 1 shut down by valley ford road. that is shut down as well as the sketch of highway 121, still closed between 116 and highway 37 once again due to flooding concerns. here's a live look outside. they're doing lane changes. the roads are slick into fran. no big problems for the commute. allall of the bridges moving at top speeds. if moving toward oakland

airport, this is a live look. the traffic looks good toward hayward and highway 92. a bigger look at the south bay, still seeing top speeds. all of those are live sensors. seeing current temperatures right now. and mass transit, a train, no service. lawrence is going to take the next break, and we're going to have you do weather, too. >> okay. well speaking of traffic. it might be a little bit heavy in san francisco. >> yes. their annual toy drive starts in a last push in about 15 minutes. toy barrels will be out from 6:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. today as they collect toys from kids all over the bay area. you don't have to fete out of your car. just pull up and someone will grab your donations from you. and cabs are on call. all you have to do is pick up the phone and they'll come to you and pick up your donation. >> that is cool.

5:48: when we come back a little bit of a twist on a make a wish. >> all i want is to marry justin bieber >> how one young cancer patient raised a quarter of a million dollars for other kids like herself. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

come true for kids with lif threatening illnesses.. but a virginia girl fighting cancer turned the tables.. jay korff shows us.. she's 0:51. normally the make a dream first down making makes wishes come true for kids with illnesses. >> one has helped raise a quarter of a million dollars all for make a wish. >> we have a mountain of

letters here. >> just put them on the table. >> reporter: was trance formed saturday into a remarkable repositoriry of letters. >> here's a heavy bin. >> reporter: for weeks she and volunteers have been counting, calling and reading. >> this one says "dear santa, all i want to do is marry justin bieber." >> reporter: to notice. they're handwritten by children from across the country and around the globe. >> letters from saudi arabia and ecuador and europe. >> most of them are one kid writing one letter at a time. >> reporter: they read like dreams instead of superficial demands. >> dear santa, i wish gabrielle's wishes would come true. >> they aren't meant for chris kringle at all. >> merry christmas and happy hanukkah. i love you, gabriella. >> reporter: only a month ago, the friends learned their vivacious daughter had an

inoperable brain tumor. thanks to make a wish foundation, gabriella gets to travel to paris; but before going, this fourth grader had a selfless epiphany. she asked for leters to santa. macy's donate a dollar for every letter received. gabriella said other girls struggling like her -- >> every night i burst into tears. >> i will not stop praying for you. >> reporter: they blew past their goal of 10,000. >> each bag probably has a few thousands letter ins in it. >> reporter: social immediate i don't made it a reality. >> really buoyed her spirits which otherwise might have felt lonely and dark. >> then all expectations were shattered. one hundred thousands became 150,000, which morphed into 150,000 letters. sunday afternoon, a moving

company donated a. so this avalanche of love could be delivered to the macy's at the town center. >> highlights what the community can do when they believe. it's incredible. >> despite treatments this is where gabriella made her first public appearance. hundreds fill the atrium to support a girl who symbolizes so much in what we admire in the human condition. >> thank you for everything that you've done. >> thanks to everyone who believes. >> made the announcement. >> 249983. >> [ cheers and applause ] . >> reporter: what happened next no one expected. one final letter would be red. >> "dear santa. i'm gabriella. make a wish has helped me." >> reporter: cancer makes her physically weak, her speech altered; but you can hear her strength in ever word. >> i want to say one more

thing. this is my motto. you might have a bad day, but there's always a bright star to look forward to tomorrow. look inside. what's your bright star? thank you. happy holidays. >> reporter: it's ohm possible to calculate a love that starts in a girl's heart, travels around the world and returns with the immeasurable gift of hope. >> what a star. >> amazing what a little idea from a nine-year-old and what happened, brought in almost $250,000. >> so sweet. >> neat. coming up in our indication half hour, the nation's air defense team takes on one of its biggest conditions of the year. they're tracking santa of course, and we've got some radar. a big night. plus a big weekend left area rivers and creeks like this one overflowing. crews watching the levees very

closely this morning. and we could careen over that fiscal cliff in just a couple of days? what the president wants when we come back. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,, [ laughter ]

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county are trying to save h a search and rescue is underway this christmas eve morning.. 's monday, police are trying to save him. a search-and-rescue underway this christmas eve morning. good morning. it is monday december 24th. i'm elizabeth winger. michelle has the morning. we'll get to the latest on the search and rescue in a couple of minutes. santa is making his way here up we'll find out what kind of weather they'll get in the bay area. i think he'll like it. >> i've been very good this year. expecting santa to pay a visit to my house. if headed outside, a big break,

a few scattered light showers out toward the coastline. the brunt of the storm system headed eastward. the next storm system going to be moving in. but it looks like that will come on christmas day. scattered light showers toward the immediate coast, very light. don't be surprised if you see a couple of raindrops picking up. but they're widely scattered out there. i think this will be it for the storm. after this things will wind down quite a bit. temperatures in the 50s outside, cool toward the coastline, 54 degrees, 53 in the nap pa valley, and about 05 degrees in livermore. more on your christmas forecast coming up in a few minutes. and the rain from yesterday causing issues on the roads this morning, including stretches of highway 1 still closed. and we just got word from chp that the closure going to be there until about 7:00 this morning. a good hour or